What type of polish to use?

A

allen aikens jr.

New member
I put this question out to you, my esteemed detailing colleagues.

(It's a little long.) :o

How do you know what type of polish (AIO,FI-II,3M Microfinishing Compound, PCL, etc.) to use on paint surfaces based upon oxidation, swirling, scratching, etc?



I've been searching, but I don't think I'm using the correct wording to find what I'm looking for. I know it's by trail and error to find what is the best product. But where do you start?



The reason I ask this is: Yesterday, Jason and I did a 99 Chevy Suburban (minor swirling, light scratches.) We had discussed washing w/ Dawn, followed by M#9 then Finish First the night prior to the job. I did the hood and roof w/ the #9. Didn't notice much of a difference other than the swirling was gone. So, we decided to use FI-II instead of the #9. Significant difference all the way around. Which brought me to the question: What polish to use for given situations?

TIA,

Scott :xyxthumbs
 
Lets make it more difficult. Hand vs. pc vs rotary. Then chose a pad and a polish. Having fun. Well then chose a wash a clay and a wax or sealant.



its all good



here is what I do:



First time wash with dawn. All other washes use Meguiars gold class shampoo.



Mothers clay and show time QD



heavy swirls PC, DACP and orange pad



light swirls PC, SMR/#9 and orange pad



Klasse AIO PC and Meguiars polishing Pad.



Klasse SG hand and MF applicator



S100 and by hand and foam applicator.



QD :clear pearl in the meguiars purple bottle for a fine mist.





How about you?
 
I'm doing my red '86 roadster. Badly oxidized, few swirls. So far I have



1: Dawn washed

2: clayed

3: Menzerna Intensive polish. I'm using a PC with the orange pad. I find a need to make a second pass using the yellow (CMA) pad to get out all the oxidation. (Would anyone recommend a more abrasive polish instead?)



What in intend to do next:



4: Menzerna Final polish

5: Don't know yet. Should I use a sealant then several coats of wax?
 
rightlane method is what i do. except i don't have DACP so i use 3M SMR with wool pad. if i need more aggressive combo i use 3M RC with wool pad.



good luck
 
Here's another example...of trial and error.

This weekend Jason and I finally detailed my F150 (pictures to follow as soon as they're developed). It had moderate swirling and had never been polished since I've had it (8 months). So, this is what we did.



1. Dawn wash

2. Polished w/ a combination of 3M Microfinishing Compound and FI-II.

3. Dawn wash again

4. Applied Z5 w/ ZFX (3X) With Z6 QD in between coats.



That's all we had time for. Next, hopefully today or Thursday Z2 will be applied. Jason suggested alternating coats of Z5 and Z2 to bring out the color.

I guess determining what type of polish to use is a matter of preference.
 
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